There is no such thing as the perfect CV. So stop obsessing about every tiny detail on your job application.

We all understand that job hunting can be a stressful process. And the longer the process goes on for, the more you tend to believe you’ve done something wrong and the more you want to control everything, including what you can’t control.

You might be so consumed with ensuring that your application ticks all the boxes that you lose all sense of reality – even though the reality is that not all job search details are do or die. However, many jobseekers waste time worrying about details that are simply not worth their worry.

If you’re guilty of spending too much time on the following, stop it!

Adding shiny, bright touches to your CV

It’s important to make sure your CV is tailored to the position you’re applying for. Getting rid of unnecessary career history such as redundant skills, certifications and affiliations, is a crucial part of cleaning up your CV.

But for many people, pulling out all the stops also often translates to adding formats and fonts to jazz up their CVs. Don’t get us wrong. A well-written CV is certainly an important part of the job application process, but if you’re guilty of adding borders, bright pops of colour and customising each sub-heading, you’re simply wasting your time.

Unless you’re applying for a job in design, in which case you will be required to showcase your creative flair, you need to stop obsessing about how fancy your CV looks.

Meticulously detailing your career history

Few people can say their career paths have been linear. In fact, many people have experienced twists and turns during the course of their careers. But unless you have a really interesting story to tell (like this guy) no hiring manager is interested in reading every minute detail of their career history.

Remember the goal is to be called in for an interview. Your cover letter should simply inform the person reading it why you’ll be the perfect candidate for the job – a claim you should back up with your passions for the job and industry as well as personal characteristics that make you uniquely qualified for the job. Once you land the interview, you’ll be given an opportunity to explain your career path.

One page CV or two-page CV

Traditional CV advice tells you that your CV should never exceed two pages. After all, it’s been said that recruiters only skim through your CV for a few seconds before deciding whether you’re fit for an interview or not. So for many job seekers, it will make sense to spend countless hours cutting, copying and pasting text to meet the “right” page length requirements.

However, if you’ve spent considerable time developing your career, chances are you’ll have more relevant experience to add to your CV. The objective: relevant. This means detailing experience, training and educational background related to the position you’re applying for, ensuring that the most recent and important information makes it to the top of your CV.

Another method for detailing your career history is to organise it into Relevant Work Experience and Other Work Experience. In this way you’re highlighting the crucial experience and skills while adding your overall work experience.

Stressing about when you’ll hear from the company

Once you’ve submitted your application, the waiting game can be quite stressful. And you can be tempted to send several follow-up mails, especially if you haven’t heard anything in weeks.

If you’ve bagged an interview and the interviewer has promised to contact you with the answer, ask for a response timeline before walking out the door. When you have an idea when a decision will be made, it’s reasonable to send a mail expressing your excitement for the job.

Once that’s done, regain control by focusing your time on the job hunt.

The bottomline: Don’t waste your time overthinking things you have no control over. If you sleep knowing that you did all that was required of you, if the job is meant to be yours it’ll come your way. If not, Careers24 has thousands of new vacancies for you to choose from.